Tag Archives: warfare

“So—is this the end?” Xenophon asked himself. “You asked for it and now you got it.” He was lying in a tent in the middle of the Persian Empire. He was with a batallion of Greek mercenaries, though he was … Continue reading →

The most exciting thing in Caesar’s Commentaries? Commentarii de Bello Gallico, an account written by Julius Caesar about his nine years of war in Gaul (public domain photo) The battle of Alesia. What is so exciting about it? Caesar was … Continue reading →

“Find me a place where the river is nice and wide,” Julius Caesar told his tribunes. “And sort of mean.” “Yessir.” The “Tusculum portrait”, possibly the only surviving bust of Caesar made during his lifetime (public domain photo) They came … Continue reading →

See him: the tough old general swimming for his life, keeping under water as much as he can while the arrows splash all around him in the water. He holds his notes in the air. A general needs his papers. … Continue reading →

Organization A LEGION comprised 6000 soldiers. It was made up of 10 COHORTS, each containing 600 soldiers. The cohort was composed of 3 MANIPLES (200 soldiers each). A maniple contained 2 CENTURIES (one hundred men = a century) and their … Continue reading →

The most outstanding thing in Caesar’s book on the Civil War is his clemency. Again and again he pardoned his enemies in the hope that they would become his supporters. The Romans themselves were impressed by this new device. They … Continue reading →

There is no place like it in all the world. Look at El Greco’s unforgettable painting first. Then this photograph: The whole city is a sort of natural castle with a moat, the Tagus River, in a deep gorge around … Continue reading →